The Echoes of Their Footsteps
by Tears of the Moon 17
Summary: In an AU, there is no Young Justice. There is Syndicate, a group of wronged teens who do what they want and must do to survive. During one mission, everything goes wrong and Robin's past comes forward. Between that and the Justice League sticking their noses in where they don't belong, Robin and her friends won't be able to stay in the shadows anymore. Warning: Fem!Robin
1. PROLOGUE

Disclaimer—I don't own Young Justice.

I'm only going to say this once: YES, I CHANGED THEIR "SUPERHERO" NAMES. I did this because in this version they were never with their mentors. That means Kid Flash wouldn't be Kid Flash, Aqualad wouldn't be Aqualad, and so on. The only one that stays the same is Robin and, well, Miss M. M'gann's name will be toyed with, though. (Think of it as a running joke within the group.) Also, Robin will be a girl in this. I've read some with female Robin and I wanted to give it a try.

Note: I haven't written for this fandom in . . . forever. Not only that, but I watched only the first season. I have and never will watch the second season. Ever. Please also keep in mind that I will not be including Zatanna (she just rubs me the wrong way). I hope you enjoy!

Note 2: Chapters will be at least 1500 words after this one.

Note 3: Expect character to be OOC. (Don't say I didn't warn you.)

 **PROLOGUE**

They knew nothing but pain, suffering, and loss. Life lessons had been taught backwards to them, etched in deep on their souls. While they wouldn't leave someone in need, they did not go out of their way to help other people. They weren't heroes, but they couldn't be called villains either. They were the shades of grey that lied between black and white, good and evil. They were not allies of the Justice League yet didn't side with the countless super villains that were crawling upon Earth. They had only one thing in common with those two groups and that was a shared trait.

Distrust.

You see, the Justice League, though the ever-praised good guys, didn't trust the public with their identities and didn't trust the bad guys to ever quit. The Injustice League and the other villains never truly trusted their members, always suspecting to find they were double-crossed and a knife stuck in their backs. These teens that called themselves Syndicate, plain and describing little, also had much distrust. They trusted no one but themselves, adults and life having done them wrong. Whether because of bad parenting or having no one left, these teens rallied together and realized that they didn't have to lie down. They realized that they didn't have to listen to the rules that had hurt them for so long.

And so began the beginning of Syndicate.

The group consisted of seven members, each with their own new name. There was Robin, a fourteen-year-old girl with envious hacking and fighting skills. Staying close to her side was the Crimson Streak, a redheaded teenage boy of sixteen with super speed. The other five members were Miss M, a female Martian, Rage, a half clone of Superman himself, the Shark, an Atlantean teenage boy of seventeen, Huntress, a not so normal teenage girl with family issues, and Lelantos, a seventeen-year-old with experience with arrows. To strangers, these names were codenames or superhero names, but to Syndicate, these names were their only identity. Where there once had been normal, everyday people with ordinary names now stood these hardened teens that had shed their birth names. They no longer could be found in the system that had failed half of them. No, now they were but shadows in the night, forgotten by almost all.

At least, until a simple watch-and-listen mission went wrong.

 **A/N—** Just a taste! Published on 7-7-15 with the length of 588 words.


	2. CHAPTER ONE

Disclaimer—I don't own YJ.

Here is the chapter that begins it all! *cue evil laugh* This is going to be a fun ride! ^-^ Hope you enjoy!

Note: There might be errors. Please excuse them.

 **CHAPTER ONE**

Moonlight touched the edges and tops of the numerous buildings that made up Metropolis, leaving the downtown alleyways drenched with darkness. One of those dark alleyways held one special person who went by the name Robin. She was a fourteen-year-old girl with hair as dark as the night sky and blue eyes that were hidden behind her mask. She could be quite the jokester at times, but at a time like this, she was cool, collected, and in control.

"Lelantos, Huntress, do you see Luthor yet?" Robin asked, her eyes peering out of the alleyway and watching the street before her.

" _Not yet,_ " Huntress answered through her earpiece, kneeling on the edge of a rooftop.

Lelantos shook his head. " _No, and his bounty hunter isn't here either._ "

" _Why can't the bad guys ever be on time?_ "

Robin rolled her eyes, laughter fluttering in her lungs. "CS, quit whining. It's unattractive and, frankly, very annoying."

" _Hey, what happened to you saying it reminds you of a puppy—_ "

" _Streak, please cease your chatter. Rage needs to be able to listen for their arrival_ ," Shark interrupted.

"Please, CS," Robin said before he could respond. "This is important, remember?"

" _Yeah, I know. It's just . . ._ "

Miss M's voice filtered through the earpieces. " _We understand, Crimson. We feel nervous too. Even Rage._ "

" _They're here,_ " Rage murmured, sticking to the shadows as he followed Luther's car.

Robin's muscles tensed. "Does anyone see Superman?"

" _No_."

"Any of the Justice League members? Just because Superman isn't here doesn't mean that he didn't send someone in his place or that another hero didn't catch wind of this," Robin pressed, her worries identical to her teammates.

It wasn't they feared being known to the world and to the Justice League. Well, they would prefer if no one knew of their existence, but Syndicate knew that they wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. What they were afraid of was the discovery of Rage. Being the half clone of Superman, Rage would be a person of interest to the Justice League and Superman himself. Robin was sure that if they learned how Rage had come to be, they would see Rage as a possible threat and enemy. She was almost one hundred percent certain that the Justice League would hold him captive until they figured out what to do with him. Either way, the Syndicate did not want their teammate, their _brother_ to end up with the superheroes.

" _Not that we can tell, but that doesn't mean that they are not among us_ ," Shark answered as he arrived to the alleyway across from Robin.

The Crimson Streak came up behind her. "Let's hope it stays that way."

" _Ditto_ ," Huntress muttered as she silently climbed down a fire escape and made her way towards the meeting place. " _Where Luthor decided to meet is very open and not very secretive. Who meets their bounty hunter in the middle of a deserted street anyway? What happened to empty warehouses?_ "

"Didn't you get the notice? Empty warehouses are _so_ last season. Streets are the new black," Crimson joked.

Huntress groaned. " _Shut up, Bloody Steak, or I'll sic your girlfriend on you._ "

"Quit calling me that," the Crimson Streak hissed.

"Leave each other alone," Robin ordered calmly. "We've got more important matters on our hands. Save it for later. Shark, is Miss M with you?"

" _Yes._ "

Robin nodded. "Good. Rage, when Luthor's car gets here, meet up with Shark and Miss M. We can't take any chances."

" _Understood_. _He should be there in about a minute._ "

"Huntress, Lelantos, are you in your positions?" Robin questioned. She needed to make sure that everything was going according to plan. If things went south, they needed to know that Luthor wasn't going to get a glimpse of Rage or have the chance to get his hands on Rage again. No, this was going to be clean and simple.

" _Yes, and might I say it's slightly uncomfortable,_ " Lelantos replied, his back and weight supported by the thick tree trunk that was about twenty feet to Robin's left.

Huntress grinned. " _Maybe if you hadn't chosen rock, I would be the one in the tree._ "

" _Shut your mouth, Orion._ "

Robin jumped in before they could start bickering. "Stop fighting. Luthor's here."

Huntress and Lelantos ceased their noise, silently preparing their bows and arrows. They were the eagle eyes and would take out those who saw their faces. There was a reason that Syndicate was known by almost no one. They were cautious and flew under the radar. They were not like the villains and superheroes who constantly flashed their identities, be it their real or fake identities. Syndicate made sure that they could live in peace, having no one attempting to track them down. Well, _almost_ no one. They did have one person trying to find one of their teammates.

Hence the paranoia.

That was actually one of the reasons Syndicate was there. Robin had caught wind of Luthor meeting a bounty hunter and thought perhaps it was about Rage. Luthor had not been happy that his little experiment had broken out and escaped the plans that Luthor had for him a year ago. Not only that, but Robin knew that it had been a mighty blow to the villain's ego that he had been unable to figure out who had helped the clone. It had been obvious that Rage had help because all the security footage had been erased courtesy of Robin. Just imagining the expression on Luthor's face made Robin want to cackle.

"Rage, you okay?" Robin whispered as she watched Luthor step out of his car.

Rage held Miss M's hand and responded quietly. " _I'm fine._ "

No one in Syndicate believed Rage's words. How could they? They knew that Rage was in a permanent state of worry that he would be taken against his will, forced to do another man's bidding. Rage was a tool that Luthor wanted to use and Luthor cared not of Rage's feelings. Luthor didn't care if Rage had found a family and lived how to be human. Luthor's eyes saw only a thing he had made in his lab and something that he needed for future plans. Rage was next to nothing to the man.

" _Another car is coming_ ," Huntress said, her eyes seeing the approaching car through her night binoculars. " _I don't recognize the car . . . I don't think it is Luthor's regular guy._ "

Fear flickered in Robin's heart and unease rolled down her back. Hearing that Huntress didn't recognize the vehicle had Robin on edge. Luthor tended to stick to three or four of the same bounty hunters so this foreign car was unusual. It struck something inside of Robin, down deep in her soul where a bit of Rayne Grayson lived. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she knew it didn't give her a good feeling. No, this feeling was bad and uncomfortable. It made her skin crawl and itch. She felt the need to flee and to never look back.

" _A new guy?_ " Lelantos voiced, his words sharp. " _Why does that not fill me with glee?_ "

Syndicate always felt this way when Luthor decided to replace one of his bounty hunters, though that had happened only once before. That had been because Syndicate had taken him out. He had gotten too close to finding them so they eliminated the threat before it was too late. That had been only a couple of months ago.

Miss M tightened her grip on Rage's hand. " _Do you think we should leave? What if this bounty hunter isn't a normal human? What if he or she has powers? Do you think this person will know that we're here?_ "

" _I am more concerned about whether or not this is a trap. Luthor could have thought this up as a way to get Rage back._ "

"Shark, we can't leave," Robin said. "After the last bounty hunter, we need to keep a closer eye on Luther and his little dogs. We have to be one step ahead of him or it's game over."

"Rob's right. We have to stay," Crimson Streak whispered.

Huntress eyed the vehicle as it came to a stop. " _It's stopped._ _The new bounty hunter should be talking with Luthor any moment now_."

Robin and the others watched Luthor as he crossed his arms and tapped his forearms with impatience. He didn't hold himself as a powerful, calm boss like he did when he met with his other bounty hunters. Instead Luthor let his real personality bleed out of his body and face and he seemed anxious to see this unknown person. Red flags waved throughout Robin's mind, but she didn't panic. She merely kept two eyes on Luthor and the impeding figure that was hidden in the shadows.

"You're late. I said midnight, not ten minutes after," Luthor said, his annoyance clear in his voice.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

The stranger's sly voice washed into Robin's ears and stirred painful memories from their graves. She took a shaky step backwards into the Crimson Streak as she tried to reason with herself that it couldn't be him. Why would he be here? He had never mentioned being friends with Lex Luthor. She had to be hallucinating, Robin told herself. She had to be.

Luthor smirked. "I must agree with you, Slade. You are _old_."

" _Wait. What?_ "

" _Slade? As in_ the _Slade?!_ " Huntress whispered frantically.

" _You don't mean_ —"

" _How are we supposed to avoid Slade?!_ "

"Robin?" Crimson murmured into Robin's ear. "Are you okay?"

Robin swallowed and shook her head. No, she was not _okay_. Someone from her past had popped up from out of the blue and it wouldn't end well for her. Forgive her for not being _okay_. She couldn't tear her eyes from seeing Slade step out the darkness to where she could see his mask. A hysterical laugh bubbled in the back of her throat, but she remained silent. This was the worst time to see him here. Or anywhere. Period. She—

"That's humorous coming from a man who requires my assistance. Tell me, how long has your precious, little experiment been out and about?"

Luthor's face twisted as he snarled. "A little over a year now. No one can find him and I am running out of ideas. I'm tempted to ask Superman if he's seen the clone."

"Do not worry, Luthor," Slade said. "I will not have the same problems as you and your previous bounty hunters have had."

A shiver went down every member of Syndicate's back. Slade would not be like the other bounty hunters that could be fooled or led astray. He was vastly different and he would not stop until he found Rage.

"Didn't you say that you wanted me to do something in return?"

Slade nodded. "Yes, I did. I, too, have someone I need to find."

Robin bit her tongue to keep herself standing still. She had a pretty good idea who Slade wanted found.

"Who?" Luthor questioned, curious about the person.

"An old apprentice of mine. She slipped away quite some time ago and I would like her back—"

"Luthor and Deathstroke. What are you cooking up now?"

In a split second, everything went to hell. Slade was interrupted and Luthor whipped out the two guns he carried on him, pointing them at the intruders.

" _GET OUT! SUPERMAN'S HERE!_ " Huntress shouted through her earpiece, sending everyone into action.

Shark, Rage, and Miss M fled through their alleyway and kept sprinting until they arrived at the assigned meeting place. Lelantos, in a tree only a few feet away from Slade and Luthor, began to slowly and silently climb down the tree. The Crimson Streak reached out for Robin, but someone spoke behind him.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave."

Crimson Streak turned to see Wonder Woman behind him and groaned. "Just isn't my day, is it? I'm not supposed to hit girls!"

Flashing a puzzled Wonder Woman a grin, Crimson Streak sped up to her and punched her right shoulder. This hit sent her backwards as she criticized herself for not expecting the teen to fight her. She had hoped that for once the villains would come along quietly, but it was not to be. Crimson moved his attention from the female warrior to his girlfriend.

"Let's get out of here!" he shouted as he reached for Robin.

Robin shoved him back. "Go get Lelantos! Superman and Batman are fighting Luthor and Slade. If you don't get him right now, THEY WILL!"

Robin didn't watch her boyfriend go get their teammate and instead focused her attention on Wonder Woman. How she, Crimson, and Lelantos were going to get out of here, Robin didn't know. If Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were here just for Luthor and Slade, then the other members of the Justice League would not be too far behind. Some of the other members could be here now!

Across the street, Lelantos and the Crimson Streak were being attacked by Green Arrow and it wasn't going well. Green Arrow had aimed an arrow at Slade's legs only to have Lelantos' body to come between the arrow and its target. Lelantos had grunted and nearly fell over, but Crimson caught him.

"Crap! Le, you okay?"

Lelantos kept moving forward as he leaned on Crimson. "Does it look like I'm okay? We've got to get out of here! They think we're with Luthor or Slade. They're not going to go easy on us."

"We can't leave without Robin!"

"Go! NOW! I can take care of myself _,_ " Robin shouted as she attacked Green Arrow. "I'll be right behind you guys."

Crimson Streak hesitated once again, but did as their team leader told. He picked Lelantos up and made a run for it. He dodged the superheroes and was able to safely get away from the situation. His shoulders were tense, though, because they still had one member back there. He had left his _girlfriend_ with a bunch of heroes that wouldn't think twice about knocking her out. What if Rayne didn't make it out of there?

" _Keep going, CS! KEEP GOING—_ " Robin's voice came to an abrupt end, her sentence left unfinished.

"ROBIN! We have to go back, Le! We have to—"

Lelantos punched Crimson's shoulder. "No, we _can't_! She told us to go, idiot! She stayed behind to keep the others busy!"

"But—"

"We'll find her. Don't worry . . . We'll find her."

Crimson clenched his teeth and nodded. "O-Okay."

"Keep going. We have to find the others and tell them what happened."

The Crimson Streak did as he was told and kept moving forward towards the meeting place where they would find their teammates. It wasn't easy to keep moving. There was a constant turmoil in his heart and he couldn't quit imagining what the Justice League was going to do with Robin. They thought she was a villain, that she was a henchman. If the Justice League was unable to capture Luthor or Slade, they would surely turn to Robin for answers. Not to mention that they would rip off her mask and discovery her discarded civilian identity. What if they put her in the system? Lelantos had told many stories of his foster care families and none of them were filled with rainbows.

All he knew for certain was that he would never forgive himself if something happened to Robin.

"Please be okay . . . Please."

 **A/N—** I know you have questions, but don't worry. Answers will come. This was published on 7-7-15 with the length of 2,660 words.


	3. CHAPTER TWO

Disclaimer—Obviously, I do not own YJ. Duh.

I'm so glad you guys love this! Thanks for all the reviews! Please excuse any errors that you may come across.

Note—Watch me with the name Wonder Woman. Seriously. I caught myself writing Woman Wonder. *smacks forehead* Just a heads up in case you come across it. Also, I don't really remember GA from YJ so I'll be kind of portraying him as I wish with the hazy memories of him from the Justice League cartoon. Same goes for Wonder Woman.

 **CHAPTER TWO**

Superman was frustrated, Green Arrow was disappointed, Wonder Woman wasn't happy, and Batman was curious. Why? Well, it all goes back to the masked teenager that was currently unconscious and in their custody. The teen had distracted Wonder Woman and Green Arrow, leaving only Batman and Superman to attempt to apprehend Deathstroke and Lex Luther. She had screwed up their mission and thus had not earned any fuzzy feelings from the superheroes.

Wonder Woman rubbed her knuckles that had knocked the kid out. "Do you think her alliance is with Deathstroke? Or with Luthor?"

"Does it matter?" Green Arrow asked, his eyes focused on the girl. "No matter her goals, this kid ended up here. Isn't that bad enough?"

"What I want to know is how a _child_ stopped _both of you_ ," Superman said with a frown. y

"Oh, I see. You want to know how a _girl_ , not a _man_ , was able to do those things."

Green Arrow grimaced. "Ouch. Good luck, Superman."

"Wonder Woman, that's not what I—"

"Are you saying I am not capable of understanding the words that fall from your _man_ tongue?"

"No—"

Ignoring the bickering caused by exhaustion and frustration, Batman knelt down next to the masked child. "Either way, she may know something we don't."

His words caught his teammates' attention.

"What do you mean?" Superman asked.

"She was hiding in that alley, was she not?" Batman said, pointing towards the alleyway across from them. "She had the perfect view to watch Slade and Luthor and could hear their discussion. Whether or not she was hired by one of them remains to be seen. However you look at this situation, she knows _something_. If she wasn't with Slade or Luthor, then she knew that they were meeting and where. She didn't stumble upon them like Lois did, Superman. She wasn't on her way home and happened to see them talking. This was _planned_."

"Okay, I'll take that you're a wonderful detective, but how do you know for certain that the girl planned this? She didn't exactly monologue during our fight," Green Arrow said, crossing his arms.

"You and Wonder Woman said that she wasn't alone, correct?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Didn't you two say you saw two other companions that _she didn't_ _allow you to follow_?"

"Yeah . . . Oh!" Green Arrow cried out before putting his face in one of his hands. "I am so stupid."

Wonder Woman's face brightened with understanding. "There was an escape plan."

"Exactly."

"What do we do with her, then?" Superman questioned Batman. "We can't have an unknown person in the Watch Tower and there's nowhere else to take her."

Batman pulled the short teenaged girl into his arms and stood up, giving his companions a blank stare. He turned his face away as he pushed a button on his utility belt and looked to his left. Superman, unhappy that his friend was once again expecting them to blindly follow him, huffed and spoke again.

"Batman, what are you waiting for?"

"The Batmobile."

"Hmm, why? We haven't figured out what to do with the girl yet," Superman pointed out.

"You mean _you_ haven't figured it out yet. I, on the other hand, _have_."

The Batmobile came to a stop in front of Batman and the door opened, revealing a driver's seat and a passenger seat. Seeing two seats lit three lightbulbs above three heads.

"You're taking her to your cave?" Wonder Woman asked, frowning. "That is not wise, Batman. She is tricky and she could learn your identity."

Green Arrow jerked his head towards Wonder Woman. "I agree with her. It's crazy to take her back to your secret hideout. Superhero 101, Batman. Remember?"

Batman paid them no attention until after he had the girl placed in the seat with the seatbelt on and he was once again facing his teammates.

"When did I say that I was taking her to the Batcave?"

"Where else would you be taking her?" Wonder Woman said. "There is no other place that I can think of that you would take her to."

Superman sighed as he felt a headache coming. "You have some other secret place, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Feel like sharing anytime soon?" Green Arrow moaned, knowing this was a favorite pastime of Batman's. Having his teammates constantly caught off guard because they underestimated him again. He did it more than people would think.

Batman slid into his beloved car. "Follow me. _Discretely_."

Yeah, like that would happen.

* * *

Robin hated that she had woken up. Honestly, she, _Robin_ , had been captured by a bunch of brightly colored, spandex-wearing, narcissistic heroes. How was she going to live this down? On top of her injured pride, her face was _bare_. Just thinking of what the Justice League knew about her civilian identity had her partway towards a panic attack. She could imagine the questions that they would ask and the information they would want to know. It wasn't going to be fun.

"You're finally awake."

Robin looked up from her lap and saw Superman sitting in a chair opposite of her. She resisted the urge to twitch. Why did it have to be _Superman_? He was number two on Syndicate's avoidance list just under Lex Luthor. Well, perhaps he was number three now seeing as Slade was now at number one, pushing Lex Luthor to—

"Want to tell me what you were doing with Slade and Luthor?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, so you're good cop. How original. But you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to have a buddy going by the name bad cop. It's disappointing that you're alone, but I suppose seeing as you're _super_ , you can easily handle two roles at once."

"I'll take that as a no," Superman said, his arms crossed.

"You can take it however you want as long as I get to leave."

Robin was careful to say leave instead of going home. If she had said that, they would know she had a home base of sorts and would attempt to pinpoint where it was. Not that they wouldn't do that anyway. This way they would assume that she was constantly on the move and waste some of their time. It would be that time she would use to relocate her team, her family.

Superman sighed. "Will you at least tell me who you're with? Who's paying you to do their bidding?"

That hit an aged nerve, one that hadn't been touched in quite some time.

"I don't do _anyone's_ bidding," Robin hissed. "Now _let me go_."

Superman rubbed his forehead as the door behind him opened up, revealing Batman with a file in his hand. Batman eyed Robin before turning his attention to Superman.

"I see that your interrogation failed."

Superman stood up and glared at Batman. "I talked to her for two minutes. How was I supposed to do it that quickly?"

Batman opened his mouth to answer, but Superman stormed out of the room before Batman could reply. After Batman shut the door, he sat down in the seat that Superman had sat in and aimed his gaze at Robin.

"Hello, Ms. Grayson, or should I call you Rayne?"

 _Of course he looked me up. Why wouldn't he?_

Robin feigned nonchalance and shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't matter."

It hadn't mattered in years. While she and her teammates had shared their birth names, they refrained from calling each other by those names. They stuck to their new names and rarely mentioned their old names. Except for Wally. He liked to call her Rayne when they were alone, but she didn't mind it. She actually liked calling her boyfriend Wally and felt it made their relationship a little more serious. Honestly, who wants to refer to their boyfriend as the Crimson Streak?

"Where have you been? According to these reports, you disappeared shortly after your parents died," Batman said.

What he was doing, Robin wondered to herself. Was her past really his number priority at the moment? She had thought that they were more concerned about whether or not she was with one of the villains. Maybe he was hoping to she would reveal something important or something else along those lines.

"So?"

Batman leaned forward just ever so slightly. "You disappear and years later turn up spying on Lex Luthor _and_ Slade. And you want me to believe nothing happened between then and now?"

Robin could see what Batman wanted to know. He wanted to know _exactly_ what had happened to her and her reasons for spying on two dangerous villains. He probably thought this would lead to confesses and sobs full of excuses and pleas for forgiveness. He must have thought she would cave and beg him to get her out of the trouble she had landed herself in.

Ha! As if she would ever do that. She knew how adults were, how _heroes_ were. Robin could never trust anyone besides her family with the truth and she knew that if she didn't get out of there soon, she would find herself trapped with people who thought they knew what was best. So what she would do next had to be careful, had to be something they would chew on while she planned an escape or was rescued. It had to be vague.

Robin knew just what to say.

"Well, not _nothing_. Just nothing you'd be interested in," she muttered.

"Such as?"

Robin had to be careful with her words, but she knew that Justice League probably already knew that Luthor was looking for someone. It's not like she would be handing them information about Rage, per say. It was more like a new piece of the puzzle, but a piece that was merely a corner, something that was easy to find. It would be harmless.

She fidgeted, acting like she was nervous. "We were there to watch, okay? Just to watch! No one told us that you guys were going to show up!"

"I thought you said you didn't work for anyone," Batman said, watching her carefully.

"I don't," she answered. "This was a one-time thing. I needed the money."

"So who hired you? What did they want to know?"

"I'm not sure. I just know that they wanted to know who Luthor was hiring and who he wanted the bounty hunter to find. That's all."

Batman crossed his arms. "Who did Luthor want to find? What was so important about this person?"

Robin shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He mentioned an experiment of his that got loose. He wasn't happy. He said he was considering asking Superman if he had stumbled upon the experiment."

In that moment, Robin knew she had successfully diverted Batman's attention from herself and onto Luthor's motives. If everything went to plan, Batman would leave her alone and he would talk with the other heroes. That would give her the chance to get out of her handcuffs, slip out of the room, and attempt to get out of wherever she was being held. She would have to act fast, though, once Batman left the room. There wouldn't be too much time to waste. It wasn't like the superheroes would talk _forever_ , you know?

Batman didn't say anything to her before he got up and left the room, a soft click sound flowing into her ears. Robin wanted to smirk, but she didn't because of the video camera fixated on her. That camera wouldn't be a problem, she knew, because the moment they see her get out of her seat, if they're even paying attention, she'll be at the door. In that split second, she'll have the door unlocked and be running around looking for an exit. Sure, the camera would be a small problem, but she was sure her teammates would be reaching this place at any moment and they would help her out of there. If not, she would have to do her best to escape on her own and hope that the superheroes were too distracted to watch her.

Either way, she was getting out of there and she was getting out of there _now_.

 _One, two, three . . . go!_

 **A/N—** I was going to show CS and the others, but I think it'll be a good beginning for my next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and review! This was published on 8-1-15 with the length of 2,168 words.


	4. CHAPTER THREE

Disclaimer—I don't own Young Justice.

Note—I know Jump City is the city where the Teen Titans lived, but in this fic, it's the city where Syndicate lives. Oh, and please excuse any errors.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I am currently on winter break and won't be attending college again until the middle of January. That means I have about a month to crack down and write. I hope to write eight chapters for this fanfic and my other YJ so that I can give you guys updates twice a month (on every other Friday) during my spring semester of college. (I actually am hoping that I can write sixteen chapters for both fanfics so you guys can get an update four times a month, but I'm not sure that's a realistic goal.) So that means you guys won't be getting another update until next year. Merry Christmas!

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Miles away from where Robin was being held captive, the rest of Syndicate was holed up in their hideout in Jump City. The hideout was literally inside the cliff by the coast as it was a series of caves that they had fashioned into home with furniture and rugs. Since Jump City was pleasant with the exception of some days being colder than others, they did not require electricity to cool or heat their home. They made due with blankets and fans that ran on batteries instead of electricity. Whatever they desired to use the internet, they went to local café seeing as that would be much safer than trying to have internet at home. It would easier to locate Syndicate if they were on the grid.

But electricity would have nice to have at the moment.

"I'm going to need some light if I'm going to clean this up," Lelantos hissed, his nerves strung tightly.

"Here!" Crimson Streak snapped as he slammed the camp light on the table. "See if I try to help you again!"

Huntress hit both of them on the head. "Leave each other alone. You guys aren't the only ones worried about Robin."

"Lelantos is right," Shark said. "We are also concerned about her."

Crimson Streak clenched his fists. "You guys aren't the one that let her get captured."

Rage stepped into the conversation. "Robin ordered you to leave. It was what she wanted."

"But—"

Lelantos interrupted Crimson Streak. "You don't think that I don't feel the same way? I'm one of the reasons that you couldn't go back for her, you idiot!"

"So before you morons descend into an argument about whose fault it was and who feels worse, how about we cut it short and get straight to the issue at hand?" Huntress jumped back in before the two boys could open their mouths.

Shark backed her up. "We must devise a rescue plan to retrieve Robin. That is what is most important at the moment."

"Yes, before she is used against us," Rage murmured, voicing a fear shared by all of the members.

While the members of Syndicate were certain that the Justice League would not kill Robin, they doubted that the heroes would not use Robin to draw them out. Batman surely had noticed that Robin had not been alone while watching Slade and would most definitely want to have them all together. That way if Syndicate turned out to be villains, the Justice League could deal with all of them at once (tossed into prison, most likely) and not have to worry about other members attempting to have revenge. Of course, seeing as Syndicate had members that were connected to Justice League members, they did not want to have to deal with having their identities bared to those members. It would a drama-filled inquisition and nothing good would come from it.

Crimson Steak's shoulders stiffened. "She would never talk."

"We know that," Huntress replied. "But it doesn't mean that she can't be bait."

"So we'll just get to her first," Crimson stated firmly, his arms crossed across his chest.

Rage nodded. "M'gann is searching for Robin using the telepathic link. It shouldn't be much longer."

Crimson eyed Miss M's body hovering in the air as she meditated. "I hope it works. She's done it only once before and that was with you."

"What difference does that make?" Rage asked.

Crimson smirked. "She's closer to you emotionally, you robot. Therefore, the bond is stronger and she's used to sensing your presence."

"Wow."

"What?" Crimson questioned.

Huntress shrugged. "Nothing. I was just surprised that something intelligent came out of your mouth."

Crimson opened his mouth to retort, but M'gann squeal of happiness ensnared his attention.

"You know where Robin is?" Crimson anxiously asked, his eyes searching M'gann's face.

The smile on her face threatened to split her face. "Yes!"

A collective relief swept throughout the group as a weight of worry and concern was lifted from their shoulders. Now all that was left was to follow M'gann and break Robin out of wherever the Justice League was keeping her.

"You know," Huntress started. "Lelantos will have to stay here."

Lelantos huffed. "I know that, _Orion_."

"Must you keep calling me that?"

"Does it still annoy you?"

Artemis pursed her lips and Lelantos laughed.

"Then, yes, I have to keep calling you that."

Crimson rolled his eyes and spoke. "We better hurry up. Robin has probably broken herself out by now."

"Can you imagine what she's doing to them right now?" M'gann said.

"I imagine that they is quite cross with her," Shark replied with a small smile.

Crimson grinned. "That's my girl."

* * *

As Syndicate thought, the four members of the Justice League were not exactly happy with Robin at the moment. Superman was especially irritated because Robin had not answered his questions. Understandably, he was exhausted after a day of work and crime-fighting and it was three in the morning. He had to be up in just four hours to get ready for work. Of course, he could have left Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow to handle the joy of questioning the tight-lipped girl, but it had happened in _his_ city and involved _his_ villain. Superman didn't feel that he could wash his hands of the girl when she could possibly be connected to Lex Luthor. It also didn't help that she had mentioned that Luthor was searching for an experiment of his. That thought plagued his mind, countless scenarios of some poor person or creature that had been through the ringer for the sake of Luthor's selfish desires and greed. So, with all of those things piled on top of one another, Superman could not find it in himself to leave when there had been no closure.

"So who exactly is this girl, Batman? You said that you had knowledge of her true identity," Wonder Woman asked, folding her hands at the table she and the others were sitting at.

Superman's attention was awakened. "You know who she is?"

"Yes."

"Umm, how?" Green Arrow asked.

"I took a sample of her blood and ran it through the system. How else?"

"Of course you took a blood sample," Green Arrow muttered to himself. "That's not creepy at all."

Superman agreed, but saw the logic in the action. "At least we know who she is now. Batman, care to tell us?"

"Her name is Rayne Grayson."

"That sounds familiar . . . Hey, isn't that the name of the orphan girl that you looked for a year or so?" Superman questioned.

Green Arrow straightened. "Orphan?"

"Poor girl," Wonder Woman murmured.

"Her parents were murdered by Tony Zucco six years ago. She disappeared off the face of the earth after the funeral was held."

"And now she's popped up out of nowhere, watching Luthor and Deathstroke. That's really weird," Green Arrow commented.

Batman nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, it's strange. I had hoped she would enlighten her situation, but I was instead given information about the meeting."

"Really?" Superman couldn't help his surprise. "She talked to you?"

"It wasn't much, but—"

An alarm roared, overshadowing Batman's voice and alerting him to whatever had happened.

"So she escaped the room," mused Batman.

Wonder Woman stood up, every fiber of her being ready for a fight. "Then let's stop her. We need to know everything, Batman. Not just a little bit."

Batman didn't respond, merely easing over to the monitor to watch Robin run down the hallway and head towards the only exit. Green Arrow gaped at him as he couldn't believe that Batman was _letting_ her leave. Wonder Woman took part in this disbelief as well, but it was Superman who had the nerve to ask Batman what he was doing.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Batman wanted to smirk at the exasperation in the man's voice, but refrained. "Letting her go."

Sometimes, Superman thought to himself, Batman was much like a young child. You had to ask him several questions to even begin to understand what he was doing and even then the answers were simple like a child's.

"For what purpose?"

Batman cocked his head. "Is it not obvious?"

Superman sighed. "No, Batman, it isn't. Please explain."

"Very well," Batman caved, enjoying this banter very much. "She has allies, does she not?"

They nodded.

"Then it is only logical that she would return to them once she leaves this place. We will then be able to follow her and find out exactly what is going on. Should it be necessary, we can use her allies against her to obtain the information that we need."

Green Arrow shook his head with a smile. "You just want to know where she's been hiding all this time."

Batman ignored the archer's comment and stood up, heading towards the door.

"So I guess we're going then . . ."

Green Arrow gave Superman a look. "Like we even have a choice."

 **A/N—** I'm not sure about the ending of this chapter, but it felt right to leave it about here. The next chapter will start with Robin being outside of the place. This was published on 12-18-2015 with the length of 1692 words.


	5. CHAPTER FOUR

Disclaimer—I truly do not own YJ.

College is the excuse that I wave in your faces. I will try to write as much as I can in July and August so that you guys get some more updates. _ I hope you enjoy!

Note—When I picture Slade in this story, I see him as he was portrayed in _Teen Titans_.

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

Blood rushed through her ears, pounding in rhythm with her feet as they pushed her body forward with running. The lights illuminated the stark white hallways and revealed pure white doors as well. The floors reflected Rayne's form, but that was not what currently interested Rayne. She was much more concerned with the possibility that the door at the end of the hallway was not the desired exit. Her mind created new escape plans and immediately destroyed them as her hand touched the door handle. If the door didn't lead the outside, Rayne would have to backtrack and that meant running into Batman and his band of heroes.

Hesitating for only a split second, Rayne turned the handle and pushed against the door to reveal what it covered. Relief was a tidal wave as she saw the twinkling of stars in the night sky. She resumed her running after a second of celebration, heading towards the town that shined in the distance about a mile away.

Rayne kept running, pushing her body harder so that she would have a chance of escaping the seemingly abandoned building and the Justice League members that were still inside. She dared not think negative thoughts because they would only weigh her down and limit her thinking. She instead focused on the next step in her plan. She needed to get to the city and become a slippery shadow of the night. She needed to make sure that Batman and his pals would have a difficult time finding her.

Ten minutes later, Rayne's heart raced as she planted her feet into the dimly lit city. She had made it, but she was positive that the superheroes weren't too far behind her. She needed to disappear and find a place where she could mediate. If she mediated, Rayne would be able to focus and perhaps feel M'gann on the edge of her consciousness. M'gann had a difficult time trying to maintain psychic bonds with all of the teammates so it was the non-telepathic members to attempt to help her with the process. Of course Rayne tried to work on the bond daily so hopefully she had made it relatively easy for M'gann to sense her.

 _I hope Wally doesn't rush into this. I hope he sticks to the plan._

Rayne had set up a plan in case something like this ever happened. The overall plan was to regroup and to determine the location of the missing teammate. Once the rest of the team was ready, they were to go to the location and spread out, fading in and out of crowds while keeping constant contact with all of Syndicate. They were not to bring any sort of attention to themselves and should they run into trouble, escape and regroup later on. Once they found the missing teammate, they were to ease out of the location with no sense of urgency and then meet back at base. It was a plan that could be flexible in case something should go wrong and simple enough to remember.

However, in the case of Rayne's boyfriend, Wally would most definitely rush to Rayne's side and reveal himself to the world. His mind wouldn't be worried about his uncle or the rest of the Justice League. The only thing he would think about is Rayne and that was what worried her. She had come up with the plan for a reason: to _protect them_. If even one member did not follow the plan, they were risking the safety of the entire team.

Rayne leaned against an alleyway wall, taking a few seconds to catch her breath. Wally could lose himself in his worry and his desire to save another person to the point of self-destruction. If it happened now in this city, in this situation . . . Wally would surely bring even more attention to their group, something that they could not have any more of. Between the Justice League and Slade, Syndicate had to move with more care than they had previously.

Her hands shook at the thought of Slade, but couldn't handle thinking of the man at the moment. She had far more pressing issues at hand. She needed to know if M'gann had located her.

Inhaling deeply, Rayne closed her eyes and searched for M'gann's presence. She felt around for a few moments before feeling a sensation of warmth fill her to her fingertips. The air rushed out of her lungs as relief replaced it. M'gann knew where she was and they were coming for her. Now the only thing that Rayne needed to do was wait for one of her friends to find her.

Well, that and avoid the heroes following her.

Rayne resumed lurking in the alleyways and blending into the shadows. Though she had never heard or seen the superheroes following her from the building, she didn't doubt that at least Batman had shadowed her. He had been too curious about her life story just minutes ago. Why would he let her go after receiving no answers? Not only that, but though she had managed to get his attention locked onto Luthor and Slade, he most likely thought she knew more than what she had said. There was no way he'd let her go with only getting a little bit of information from her.

 _I'll never talk. Never._

Telling Batman about Rage and what he was would essentially be handing the power to the Justice League. Once they were aware of what and who Rage was, they would be too interested and would seek some way to make sure to control him. Even if they claimed that they would be protecting Rage, he would lose part of his freedom that he and the rest of Syndicate had fought for. Rage wouldn't be able to choose the way he would live his life. Superman would surely want to have a say-so in his half clone's life. Though Rayne often wondered if Superman would see Rage as a son that had not come from a woman, she didn't want to gamble Rage's current life only to watch him become a prisoner.

Rayne foresaw a similar outcome if she confessed her past to Batman. Like any adult out there, he would hear only what he wanted to hear and would send her into a system that had failed Lelantos. She had no known living relatives so if she wasn't put into the foster care system, she would find herself in an orphanage. Both options left a bad taste in her mouth and she would sooner join the Justice League as a superhero. Besides, Rayne wasn't sure how Batman would react should he discover her connection to the infamous Deathstroke.

The thought of Slade caused Rayne to absentmindedly touch her left shoulder, a shudder wrecking her body.

 _Definitely not telling Batman anything._

* * *

"She knows we're here," M'gann whispered, a smile stretching her lips.

Wally released his tension with a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Spread out," Lelantos ordered. "We need to get her out of here before Batman and the other heroes find her."

"Wait," Shark said as everyone moved to walk in different directions. "Rage should not be on his own. Now that Slade is looking for him, precautionary measures must be taken."

Huntress nodded. "Shark's right. Rage, you should go with M'gann. If you run into trouble, send us a heads-up via our bonds, M'gann."

M'gann moved to Rage's side and clasped his hand. "We'll stick together."

"We won't leave each other's sight."

"Just be careful and don't get caught," Lelantos murmured his final command as Syndicate broke off into different directions, searching for their waiting leader.

Wally tried to heed Lelantos' command, but his body buzzed with anxious energy that manifested as fidgeting and speed-walking. Rayne was within reach, hiding somewhere in this city that surely had heroes searching for her as well. Though he didn't hate the Justice League, he didn't want them to have his girlfriend in their clutches. He wanted everything to remain the same. He wanted Rayne to cuddle with him on the couch with their friends surrounding them. He didn't want the Justice League to try to change things for the "better" and have the adults telling them how they should live. He didn't want Syndicate to be broken apart with everyone in a different place. He wanted his friends, his family to remain together.

And he would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

* * *

Slade had been irked that a few members of the Justice League had interrupted his business deal with his old friend. However, the interruption had been a mere nuance and nothing more. He and Luthor could resume hashing out their deal at a later date and a different place. The interruption had also been more beneficial than he could have estimated. Because of the Justice League crashing their party, Slade had heard a voice that he had not heard in quite some time.

Rayne had been there, most likely spying on Slade and his associate.

That had been a fruitful discovery. However, he had been unable to see for himself if the voice had truly belonged to his old apprentice. Slade had little doubt that it had been Rayne, but he was a man of certainty and wanted to see her with his own eyes. That was why he tracked Green Arrow who had been following Batman and had hid in the shadows, waiting for a glimpse of the mystery girl. It had been a long hour, but his patience was awarded when a door opened and the girl sprinted past Slade's place in the darkness.

The girl's face had been bare, but under the cover of night, Slade had been too far away to determine the girl's identity. In search for an answer, he stalked her movements while making sure that the superheroes that also followed her did not see him. He may enjoy taunting the Justice League with his casual cruelty and striking brilliance in his spare time, but his attention was drawn more to the source of his curiosity. He wanted to know if the girl was Rayne much more than he wanted to tug at some superheroes' sense of justice.

Once the girl entered the city, the heroes split up and seemed to have lost sight of her. Slade, on the other hand, was her second shadow and close enough to her to slit her throat should he desire. After a while, Slade was able to see her face clearly as she turned a corner and he was unsurprised to determine the girl as Rayne. Oh, how he was satisfied to find his apprentice at last and without the help of Luthor as well. His plans would be easier to put into action now that he would have her back now.

When she stopped for a second time and touched her shoulder, Slade moved to stand within an inch of her space.

"I have missed you, Rayne."

 **A/N—** I know it's cruel to end here, but I think this leaves me a great starting point for the next chapter. This was published on 7-2-2016 with the length of 1,934 words.


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